Boutique housing proposal would raze Vintage Spirits and Grill 

Madison developer The Carey Group has proposed a 12-story building with 33 market-rate housing units and 110 beds, 1,450 square feet of commercial space, a rooftop patio, and no parking on a one-tenth-acre site at 529 University Ave., the Wisconsin State Journal reports. The project would provide 11 two-bedroom units and 22 four-bedroom units.

The plans call for the demolition of Vintage Spirits and Grill to make way for the new building, which would be a boutique housing development in contrast to the number of large projects under construction in the city currently. The bar would be allowed to stay until construction begins.

The Carey Group does not anticipate any low-cost units and is not intending to seek city financial assistance for the project. The property is valued at $570,000 for 2023.

The developer has said the project would substantially increase the city tax base on an infill site with little to no increased cost to the city. New higher density student housing in the central city could reduce vehicle traffic and promote bicycle and pedestrian traffic.

The Carey Group is set to make an informational presentation to the city’s Urban Design Commission at an online meeting at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The developer anticipates the start of construction in the spring of 2024 and project completion by the early summer of 2025 if land use approvals are secured.